


Baby Makes Three (but what about four?)

by mttraspberrypie



Series: Tales of a Sweet Spider-Son and His Embarrassing Irondad [5]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Mess, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 06:47:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19718368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mttraspberrypie/pseuds/mttraspberrypie
Summary: Pepper's pregnant, and she and Tony seem so happy.Peter wishes he could feel the same way.





	Baby Makes Three (but what about four?)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This prompt, "Pepper and Tony are having a baby and Peter is jealous/insecure and feels he'll be replaced" was requested by user "pinkbelle" Thanks for requesting!

When Peter goes to Tony’s on a sunny Saturday morning, he doesn’t expect his entire world to be thrown off orbit.

Tony has Happy drive him- which Happy always fake complains about, but really, everyone knows Happy has a soft spot for Peter, so it’s not as if he really minds. After an only somewhat failed attempt at making conversation- Happy turned on the radio instead of pulling up the divider this time, which is a total win, in Peter’s book- Peter absentmindedly stares out the window, thinking about what the rest of his weekend will entail. 

He has a few ideas for some new features in his suit, and he also needs help with his math homework- kind of.

Help with homework is something Peter just uses as an excuse to spend more time with Tony. And, Peter’s pretty sure Tony knows this, but never comments on it, judging from the knowing smirk he gives Peter every time he takes out his math notebook.

A lot has changed in the past few months.

Ever since he turned down a spot on the Avengers, Peter’s been, ironically enough, spending a lot more time where he would have supposedly lived if he’d accepted the position.

Not that Peter’s complaining. It’s really nice, having lab days with Mr. Stark, watching old movies, cooking dinner together. It’s nice having someone to lean on, in this way. 

It’s something Peter’s not used to having for very long.

Ever since Ben- which Peter doesn’t even want to think about- it’s been hard for Peter to find this sort of stability. Obviously, there’s May, who he loves, but Peter feels like such a burden on her- a money-guzzling machine.

And, yes, at times he does feel this way with Mr. Stark. But whenever he does, he’s assured by the man that he’s literally a billionaire, so Peter’s not making life any harder for him in any way.

Whenever Peter thinks about where they were months ago- nearly a year- on their first lab day, he feels a sort of proudness in himself. That day, he’d been a mess- stumbling around, stuttering, constantly apologizing, sweating like crazy.

And yeah, he still does those things, but to a lesser degree. He’s comfortable now, something Peter’s rarely ever been able to feel- he and Mr. Stark watch Netflix together, have inside jokes, go to places like the fair- Peter had laughed ridiculously hard at Tony’s attempt at a disguise, a bright blue baseball cap with the words, “Florida Certified Fisherman” and sunglasses.

He has his own room, which Tony took him to IKEA to help decorate- they’d even ate there, and Tony declared the meatballs “a disgrace upon all things in meat form,” to which Peter had plopped one of his own meatballs in Tony’s mashed potatoes. 

Tony teaches him things, too- how to properly tie a tie, how to change a tire, how to make a fully functioning, highly intelligent robot that can make you a perfect cup of coffee.

Tony also seems less “Tony Stark,” and more, like, Tony. Not that his accomplishments are any less impressive, but Peter’s now seen what Tony looks like on zero hours of sleep. He’s dorkily danced around to AC/DC with him, he’s seen him curse at a chair when he bumped into it- which was hilarious, by the way.

Peter even hangs out with Pepper, who’s totally nice, by the way. 

It’s a life Peter’s never been able to imagine for himself. If you would have told him two years ago he’d be going to Tony Stark’s home every other weekend, he would have said you were crazy.

And now, it’s all come true. Like his crappy Parker Luck has gone away, hopefully forever- leaving him with something he never thought he could have had.

A father.

Not that he’ll tell Tony that- no way! Everything is perfect now- this new life is something Peter holds close to him, another reason to keep on going, despite everything that’s happened to him, something that immediately lifts his spirits whenever he’s sad, angry, or even just bored in class.

When Happy lets him off- “Have an awesome day, Happy!”- Peter has a spring in his step as he goes up Tony’s personal elevator. It feels like he’s floating, almost- yeah, he’s really happy. This is what his life has been leading up to, it seems, and yes, it’s a bit dramatic, but after everything he’s gone through- his parents, Ben, being bitten by that spider- Peter feels like things are looking up, for good.

When he steps into the living room, Tony and Pepper are there. They’re speaking in hushed, excited tones, and thanks to Peter’s super-hearing, he can hear every word of it.

“Should we do it when he gets in?” Pepper asks, voice giddy.

“No, let’s do it later. It’ll be more surprising that way.” Tony says, and Peter can practically hear the grin in his voice.

Do what? Are they talking about him? But before Peter has anymore time to think, Tony whips his head around.

“Well, there you are. I started to think you bailed on our weekend, Underoos.” Tony says with his usual confidence, although something just sort of feels… different. Tony and Pepper get up from the couch, where they’re seated, and Tony wraps his arm around Pepper’s shoulders.

“Don’t listen to him,” Pepper rolls her eyes and lightly smacks Tony’s arm away. “He’s just excited to see you. Have you had breakfast?”

“Um… yeah.” Peter nods. He did, in fact, have breakfast, but thanks to his metabolism, he’s still hungry.

“And I can tell you want more. You feel like an omelette? ‘Cause that’s what I’m feeling.” Tony immediately heads towards the kitchen, and Peter can’t help but smile.

“You mean you feel like an egg?” Peter teases, and Pepper laughs as they follow him into the kitchen.

Tony gives a mock dramatic gasp. “Absolutely disgraceful. I can’t believe my own spider-baby would betray me like this.”

Pepper lifts an eyebrow as she takes out a carton of eggs. “Oh, please Tony. You know you’re a bit eggish.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tony asks. “You know what? Don’t tell me. I’ll just take it as a compliment.”

“Oh, come on Mr. Stark-” Peter begins, and his grin must give him away because Tony interrupts him.

“Don’t say it, kid-”

“You know it was just a-”

“I swear, if you-”

“Yolk!” Peter finishes, to which Tony groans at.

“God. This kid’s a genius, and yet he resorts to egg puns. Pete, I’ve gotta say it. You’re fascinating.” Tony ruffles Peter’s hair, and Tony and Pepper proceed to make breakfast- Pepper insists Peter sit down instead, because he just got here and it’d be rude to make him cook, apparently.

That should be it. 

It isn’t, though. 

While they make breakfast, Peter can’t help but notice Tony constantly doing tasks Pepper insists on doing herself. He doesn’t even let her whisk the eggs.

They’re also very lovey-dovey- not that they usually aren’t, or anything, but man, they’re really laying on the kisses today- Tony even massages Pepper’s shoulders at one point, which is weird.

And Peter can’t help but feel, as he eats his omelette with extra cheese, just how he likes it, that something is up. That something is up, and that something is about to happen.

The feeling doesn’t shake during their lab day as well- Tony’s constantly asking FRIDAY how Pepper is doing, and even despite that, he has this sort of excited-Tony energy about him.

And Peter can’t help but hope he’s just being paranoid, because this is something that he needs, something that he loves. Lab days with Tony, weekends here, everything. It’s something he holds close to him, in his chest, and something he doesn’t want to change.

Change has only been kind to Peter Parker once- by giving him this.

Peter can only hope it won’t be taken away, like everything else.

***

Peter sits on the bed that Mr. Stark bought for him- it’s a bunk bed, which Peter thinks is pretty awesome. He’s doing his homework, an essay for english- it’s not due until next-next week, but Peter just wants to get it out of the way already- when he hears a soft knock on his doorframe.

Peter looks up to see Tony casually leaning against it, holding Pepper’s hand.

“Um, hi,” Peter says, because he’s not sure what else to say. It’s not that he minds them being in his room- it’s not even his place- but they both have these sort of dopey, excited grins on their faces.

“Come to the living room. We want to show you something.” Pepper says, and Peter obediently complies. As they walk to the living room together, Peter feels his heart beating faster and faster.

This is probably the thing they were talking about when he first got here, right? What else could it be? Maybe it’s a surprise- like, a new bike or something. Not that Peter knows how to ride a bike or anything, but it seems like a generic enough idea for a surprise, so.

And yet, why does it feel like something terrible is about to happen? Like something in the world is going to shift and change, permanently?

Once they get to the living room, Peter reluctantly sits on the couch. Pepper ventures into the kitchen for a second, and comes out with… a baby doll. She hands it to Peter.

Peter stares at it. He’s not a complainer, really, but if this is supposed to be a present… it’s a pretty weird one.

But Peter is not anything if not a polite people-pleaser, so he does his best to give them a smile and says, “Um, thank you! I’ll be sure to, uh… play with it?”

Tony rolls his eyes at that. “Relax, kid, we’re not expecting you to play with a baby doll.”

Peter lets out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god. Um… then why did you give me this?”

Tony grins. “Do me a favor, kid? Say ‘baby booming.’”

Peter cocks his head to the side. “Um… what? Is that, like, a millennial joke or something? Because I’m technically gen Z- not to be rude or anything! I just-”

“Just say it. Trust me.” Tony puts a hand on Peter’s shoulder. Peter looks to Pepper for reassurance- she grounds Tony, right?- and she’s nodding, so-

“Baby booming.”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, something comes flying at Peter, fast. Peter yelps and ducks, dropping the doll- so much for his spidey sense- and stays that way, until Tony lets out an amused chuckle.

“You can get out of tornado-protection position, Pete. I can assure you there aren’t any cyclones in New York.”

Reluctantly, Peter lifts his head from his arms, and sees that the doll is now adorned with… miniature Iron Man armor?

Something in Peter’s heart sinks, but Peter doesn’t know why. Yet.

Pepper is scowling at Tony, and walks over to Peter, wrapping an arm around him. “Tony, I told you this would be a bad idea! Look, you scared him! Peter, sweetie, I am so sorry-”

“What- what’s going on?” Peter stammers, because really, none of this is making sense.

Tony looks sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. “In my defense, that was pretty well executed, if I do say so myself. I mean, really- the timing was not one second off. Pretty impressive, especially considering Pete here dropped the baby- by the way, I’m trusting you not to do that in the future.”

Pepper rolls her eyes, and stands up again, next to Tony. “What we’re trying to say, Peter, is that I’m pregnant.”

Immediately, Peter freezes.

His first thought is no. Just the word, a simple, sort of illicit refusal.

Yeah, no, no. He’s probably heard wrong. Pepper can’t be pregnant, right? Well, she can be, but it’s unexpected and she’s never said anything, so yeah, she’s not.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you. You’re, uh-”

“Pregnant.” Tony says with a smirk, kissing Pepper’s cheek. “See, Underoos, when a boy and a girl love each other very much-”

Peter doesn’t hear the rest of Tony’s sarcastic comment, because his own thoughts are too busy drowning out everything else going on around him.

Pepper’s pregnant. She has a baby inside of her.

Okay. Yeah. That’s totally a thing that can happen.

It’s almost physical, what Peter is feeling. A sort of tightness in his chest, and oh, god, Pepper’s pregnant.

That explains why they were so giddy earlier. Peter had ended up chalking it up to them just being excited to see him or something, but he should have known better, right? They’re never that excited to see him.

And a baby! A baby is something to be excited about. Holding it, loving it, teaching it things, spending time with it, being a parent.

Being a parent.

Tony’s going to be a parent to this baby. He’s going to feed it and drop it off at school and teach it how to tie it’s shoes.

Tony’s really going to love this baby. Pepper, too. 

Peter, suddenly, feels the impulse, the urge, to just… weep. To burst into tears, because, yeah, Tony’s going to be a parent to this baby, and love it a lot, and be super happy, so why isn’t Peter happy? Why does he feel like Tony is now in this unreachable place far away from him, like he’s been taken away, and will never return?

Tony and Pepper are staring at him, now.

Oh, yeah. He has to react.

Peter forces a smile, but this time, it’s very, very fake. “Wow! That’s, uh… that’s great. Awesome. Are you… are you throwing up?”

Yes. Yes, very smooth.

Tony actually laughs at that, and Pepper lightly slaps his arm.

Usually, Peter would feel mortified, but this weird, new feeling inside of him, that makes it feel like his chest is clenching is kind of taking up all of his brain-power right now.

Pepper informs him that, yes, sometimes she vomits, and that she’s three months along so far. 

Tony informs him, with a sense of pride and joy that Peter’s never seen before, that Pepper has a weird craving for fish sticks and ice cream.

Pepper glares at Tony.

Peter just nods, feeling sort of numb, because, wow, they look so happy. He’s never seen Tony this proud before, putting a hand on Pepper’s stomach, looking at it like it’s something precious, a jewel amongst a sea of garbage.

And, Peter’s heart sinks, as he realizes that the person who he truly did think of as his father, at least for a little while, has been taken away from him, like the others before him.

The rest of Peter’s weekend sucks, to say the least.

***

Sometimes, it’s easy to pretend that Pepper isn’t pregnant.

Peter feels horrible for trying to, but in the end, it’s the only thing that keeps his mood happy whenever he comes over.

It’s easy to pretend whenever he and Tony are in the lab, working on something, AC/DC blasting in the background. Pepper isn’t even that far along, yet, either.

And yet, whenever Tony teaches Peter something, or helps him with something, a bitter feeling creeps in, and Peter realizes Tony’s not going to be doing this for much longer. He’s going to have someone else to do this sort of thing with, he won’t have to waste his time on some kid he practically found in the streets-

Peter always does his best to push those thoughts away, because whenever he thinks too much about it, all he wants to do is crawl into bed and cry, which is something he should totally not do, because he’s fifteen, and fifteen year olds should not be getting all… moody, over a baby that isn’t even out of the womb yet, and certainly does not belong to their actual parents.

***

“I can cut carrots myself, Tony,” Pepper sighs. “I’m perfectly capable of-”

“I know, Pep. You’re a very strong, capable woman, except you have a very small, incapable baby inside of you, so no carrots for the time being.” Tony says suavely, gently taking the knife out of Pepper’s hands. 

They’re all making dinner together. A salad, some meatloaf. Peter’s actually pretty hungry.

Pepper has started to show.

Her baby bump isn’t so big, not yet. But it’s definitely noticeable- she’s still in her first trimester, a little bump poking out from under her white blouse.

Peter feels like he shouldn’t be here.

It’s a feeling he hasn’t felt for a while- he’s been so comfortable, lately, until all of this.

And yet now he feels like an intruder, like this life isn’t something he should be apart of, like it’s only for Tony, Pepper, and the baby that isn’t even out yet.

“What do you think, Pete? Should we put some strawberry ice cream on top of this meatloaf, to appease our oh-mighty pregnant Pepper?” Tony grins, now chopping the carrots himself.

“Oh, please. You know I haven’t had that craving for months, now.” Pepper rolls her eyes. 

“Oh, right, I forgot. You’re all about the pickles now.” Tony teases, and Peter thinks he’s the only one who realizes how quickly the conversation moved on without him.

***

Apparently, no one else but he, Happy, and Rhodey know Pepper is pregnant. It makes sense, since it’s not like Tony and Pepper really closely associate with anyone else. And while this is convenient because there isn’t a ton of baby buzz, it’s also super inconvenient because Happy and Rhodey are around a lot.

When Happy picks Peter up from school, he talks to Peter now. Peter would be happy, if the conversation didn’t always end up at Pepper’s pregnancy.

“Honestly, though, I never thought Tony would want kids. And then, all of a sudden, a few months ago, he’s telling me how he wants one, having dreams about them, all that sort of thing.” Happy says as he drives. 

Peter nods, making a small noise of affirmation. Was Mr. Stark really that adamant over having kids a few months ago? Somehow, this makes Peter feel worse- a few months ago, he was finally starting to open up around Tony, and vice versa. A few months ago, Tony had told Peter he was proud of him, and that had made his day.

A few months ago, everything felt fine, and Peter wasn’t jealous over a baby.

“I hope the kid gets Pepper’s cheek bones,” Happy continues, completely oblivious to Peter’s discomfort and discontent, “You’ve seen them, right? God, I wish I had cheekbones like that.”

For once, Peter wishes Happy would just ignore him again.

***

Pepper’s done with her throwing up phase, apparently, which should be good, but in all honesty it just means more time is passing, more time until the baby is born.

“Hand me that wrench, Pete,” Tony says to Peter. He’s working on one of his fancy cars- Peter always stares at them in awe, because wow, they’re shiny and probably cost a million dollars each.

Peter does so, happy to just watch Tony work. It’s always cool to see Tony in his element, casually concentrated, even if it’s on a small project like this.

When Peter gives him the wrench, Tony pauses, hand in mid-air. “Actually, you know what? Come here for a second.”

“Um, okay?’ Peter gets up from his stool, putting down the book he’s supposed to be reading for school- it’s To Kill A Mockingbird, which MJ was happy about- and makes his way over to Tony.

They have a rule in the lab- no tinkering until homework is done, which Peter always whines about. Tony enforces it with an iron will, though, which makes it a bit weird that he’s calling Peter over.

Tony hands him the wrench. His hands are stained with grease and motor oil.

Peter stands there, unsure of what he’s supposed to be doing. “Do you want me to put this back, Mr. Stark? Sorry if this is the wrong one, it’s just that you have a lot of wrenches, so…” Peter trails off, unsure of what else to say.

Tony snorts. “I wouldn’t call you over just to give you the wrench back, Pete. Get down here.”

Tony’s currently under the car, so Peter just sort of… lies down next to him.

“See that lug nut?” Tony gestures to a lug nut on the bottom of the car.

“Yeah.” Peter responds. “Is there something wrong with it?”

“Nope. Do me a favor and tighten it for me, Underoos.” Tony leans back in his chair, and Peter does so, carefully. He doesn’t know why Mr. Stark doesn’t just do it himself- not that he minds helping out or anything, it’s just that Tony’s perfectly capable of this easy task.

“There. Is that, uh, good, Mr. Stark?” Peter turns around to face Tony, wrench still in hand. Hopefully he hasn’t messed up his car or anything- he’d have no means of replacing it if he did.

Tony nods. “Perfect. Mind doing me another favor?”

Before Peter can respond, Tony gets up and goes over to a red tool box besides the car. After rifling in it for a few minutes, he clicks his tongue and comes back, a screwdriver and lug wrench in hand.

“What are those for?” Peter asks, hoping the answer isn’t too obvious or anything.

“They’re to fix a tire,” Tony says simply. “Come here, let me show you.”

And, over the course of the next thirty minutes, Peter learns how to fix a tire, thanks to Tony. Suddenly, he’s aware that Tony seems to want to teach him- why else would he have called him over in the middle of his homework?

And, as always, whenever Tony teaches Peter something, Peter feels all warm and happy- learning how to change a tire is something he never got to learn. Ben was never around long enough to show him, and besides- they don’t have a car.

Nevertheless, when they finish, Tony pats Peter on the back, a proud smile gracing his face. “Good job, kid.”

Peter practically beams at the compliment, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “Thanks, Mr. Stark!”

Tony snickers suddenly. “You’ve got a little something on your forehead, Underoos.” 

With that, Tony grabs a rag and wipes something- it turns out to be grease- off of Peter’s forehead.

It feels like such a dad gesture, that Peter doesn’t want to say anything to ruin it. All he says is, “Yeah. Uh, I totally knew that, Mr. Stark.”

“Sure you did,” Tony remarks, still smirking, “Hopefully the baby won’t be as messy.”

Immediately, Peter’s good mood drops like the ball on New Year’s. Of course they couldn’t have a single day without the baby being mentioned.

And now, with that thought, Peter’s mood is even worse, because now he feels bad that he’s getting this way over a little baby, who didn’t even do anything. It’s just him, it’s just Peter.

“Yeah- uh, the baby. Right.” Peter mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. Tony’s already done wiping away the mess on his forehead, and is putting away the tools they’ve used.

“Pepper probably won’t want them in here until they’re old enough to be eating the early bird special,” Tony snorts, “I’ll have to sneak them in. No child of mine isn’t going to learn how to make their own AI when they’re straight out of the womb.”

Tony’s obviously joking- Peter knows that. And yet, he’s getting that sinking feeling again- is the baby actually going to be joining them for lab days? No, scratch that- is Peter still going to get to come around for them.

Child of mine.

Of course Peter doesn’t fit the category.

***

Pepper’s stomach has definitely gotten bigger over the past few months.

It’s not swollen or anything, but about the size of a medium-sized watermelon.

Also, the baby’s kicking.

Peter’s there when it first happens- they’re all sitting on the couch, watching a movie- The Empire Strikes Back- when Pepper gasps, and places a hand to her stomach.

Immediately, Tony’s at her side- he had been sitting next to Peter, and Peter can feel his absence immediately.

“Is something wrong? Something’s wrong. We’re going to the ER- wait, no I’m calling 911.” Tony declares, clearly in a panic.

Pepper just laughs, and looks like she’s about to cry from joy. “No, Tony, nothing bad happened. It’s just- I think I felt a kick.”

Peter already feels like he shouldn’t be here- isn’t this supposed to be a private moment? 

Tony’s face lights up, and Pepper presses Tony’s hand to her stomach- she’s wearing a sky blue dress.

After a minute, Tony grins, and it looks like there are tears in his eyes.

“Already ready to punch the living daylights out of me, huh?” Tony chuckles wetly, and presses his forehead to Pepper’s stomach.

“I’m going to get some more popcorn,” Peter mumbles, and no one stops him or anything, so he makes his way to the kitchen.

As he waits for the kernels to pop in the microwave, he doesn’t realize he’s crying until the popcorn’s done.

***

May’s noticed something’s up with him.

As much as Peter has tried to hide it, he can’t help but be in a bad mood whenever he comes back from Tony’s.

Finally, May’s had enough, apparently, because when he comes home with yet another dejected expression on his face, May threatens to call Tony and yell at him until he’s deaf unless Peter tells her what’s going on.

Peter immediately bursts into tears, dropping his overnight bag on the floor.

May’s face softens, and she rushes over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders.

“Oh god, no- I’m sorry, baby, I’m not mad at you, I promise.” May reassures him, running her hands through his hair. “It’s just, if Tony is hurting you in any way-”

“Tony didn’t do anything!” Peter yells through his tears.

May’s silent, but her concerns screams.

‘I-I’m sorry,” Peter sniffles, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell, I just- Pepper’s pregnant.”

May’s face registers into one of shock, and then pity, as she pulls Peter into a tight hug.

“I-I’m going t-to lose someone again, May.” Peter sobs into her shoulder, and now he’s crying even harder because now that he’s said the words out loud, it feels true. 

“Oh god, no, Peter- that’s not true! That’s not true at all. Tony loves you, Peter. Tony loves you.” May assures, and Peter just keeps shaking his head, because in all honesty, why keep something you found on the street when you can get something shiny and new, something you bought with your own money?

***

The baby’s a girl.

Tony and Pepper announce it over dinner- they don’t do a gender reveal cake or anything, they just say it with pride.

Apparently, they got the sonogram done last Tuesday- and it’s a bouncing baby girl.

Peter tries to muster up a smile. “That’s great! What are you going to name her?”

“Morgan, after Pepper’s weird uncle.” Tony responds, and Pepper rolls her eyes. 

“He’s not weird, Tony. But yes, we decided on Morgan. Morgan Stark.” Pepper smiles kindly at Peter as she eats her salad. 

Somehow, Morgan’s full name makes Peter feel small. Morgan Stark. By blood.

“Do you want to see the pictures? We had them printed.” Pepper is saying, when Peter gets up and mumbles that he has to call May, that he forgot to and she’s probably worried.

***

Peter ends up seeing the pictures anyway.

Tony’s put them on the fridge- glossy, black and white photos. Morgan looks small, even though she’s just a fuzzy little figure.

Peter starts avoiding going to the kitchen unless he’s starving.

***

Pepper has subscribed to one of those baby shopping catalogues. 

She and Tony sit on the couch most evenings, pouring over the pages.

“Oh, Tony, aren’t those booties just the cutest?” Pepper gushes, pointing to a pair of pink baby shoes.

“Eh. I’ve seen better- right next to me, in fact.” Tony winks, and Pepper groans.

Peter’s eating a granola bar, trying to drown out the baby talk, until Pepper calls him over.

“Peter! Come here, Morgan’s kicking.”

Peter reluctantly puts down his granola bar and walks over to them.

“Feel,” Pepper says, and she seems so genuine in wanting Peter to, that he can’t find the heart to make up an excuse not to.

“Okay,” he mumbles, and presses his hand to her stomach, which is met with a little kick.

“She’s strong,” Peter tries his best to convey some sort of emotion other than jealousy or despair at Tony’s proud smile- he’s never smiled like this before- “Like the Hulk.”

“Oh god, no!” Pepper laughs. “Let’s hope not.”

“Here that, Morguna?” Tony says, leaning towards Pepper’s stomach. “You’ve got the strength of a monster already. Maybe you’ll join the football team- just don’t be green, alright? Nothing against the color, but that would be a hard one for your dad to explain.”

Your dad.

Peter’s never really realized this, but now he wants Tony to refer to himself that way, but about Peter.

At least Morgan will have a great dad- something Peter’s realized he’s not cut out to have.

***

The nursery is painted a light yellow.

Tony ropes Peter into helping paint it- well, not ropes. Peter doesn’t put up a fight or anything- he just feels that it might as well be ropes because he really, really just wants to curl up in bed and sleep for a year.

The crip is a light white, there’s a duck shaped rocking chair in the corner. And a little diaper changing station on it’s opposite wall.

“Think Morgan’ll like AC/DC?” Tony quips, putting down his paintbrush and admiring their work.

Peter’s already used to the feeling, so he’s not surprised when he’s filled with jealousy and sadness- isn’t AC/DC sort of their thing? What Tony plays during lab days- if they’ll have any more?

“She’s probably already a fan, with how much you play it now.” Peter fake-laughs.

***

Pepper’s belly is swollen to the point where Tony has to help her walk,

She sits down a lot, now. She gets tired easily.

Whenever she does take a break, she puts little headphones on her stomach and plays classical music- Motzart, Beethoven.

The love on her face is clear, even when Tony tries to get her to play a piano version of, “Highway to Hell.”

During these music sessions, though, they always sit together- Tony and Pepper, Tony cradling Pepper’s stomach.

The love in his face is clear, too.

In a way, Peter’s happy for them. He’s happy they’re happy, happy Mr. Stark has found a child he can really, truly love.

He’s not even stereotypically jealous anymore. Just sad.

Sad knowing how little time they have left, sad knowing he wasn’t enough.

Then again, Peter’s always been great at holding onto memories.

***

The baby shower’s a small event- not even an event.

The guests consist of him, Happy, and Rhodey.

It’s not even a stereotypical baby shower- there aren’t any games or anything.

It’s more of a get-together.

They eat mac ‘n cheese, and give gifts.

Happy gives them a pack of pacifiers, a baby monitor, and a little, frilly black dress, which he says he picked out himself.

Rhodey gives them a pack of diapers, and a pack of adult diapers- for Tony, he says. Tony swats at his head.

Peter gives them a set of Iron Man themed onesies- it cost his whole month’s allowance, but he figures he wants Morgan to have something nice, a sort of memento, even if he won’t be around when she’s out.

He doesn’t want to bother them with another mouth to feed, one that isn’t even really theirs.

They’re all talking, now- Peter does his best to not give one word answers during conversation, but he’s sort of preoccupied.

He really is happy for them. If Tony can’t be his dad, he finds comfort in the thought Morgan will have him. It makes sense, really- Peter is a liability. An obligation.

The only reason Tony keeps him around is because he has to- he’s Spider-Man. If Tony doesn’t keep him around and something happens, well, Tony’s said it himself- he’ll feel like that’s on him.

No one wants blood on their hands.

“You’re going to be a great dad, Tones, really,” Rhodey is saying, and at that, Peter excuses himself without anyone noticing, and steps into the elevator.

He settles on going to the roof.

It’s a quiet night. A little chilly- okay, freezing, but Peter can manage.

He just needs to be alone. It’s all just too much right now.

Peter sits on the ledge and wraps his arms around himself.

For all of fifteen minutes, he stares out at the scenery around him. There aren’t any cars- there are stars, though. Stars, and a plane passing by, a little red, blinking light.

Suddenly, he hears a voice behind him.

“Hey, kid.”

It’s Rhodey.

“Hi.” Peter manages, giving him a small wave. They’ve met before- he likes Rhodey. Responsible, grounding, kind. Rhodey seems to like him, too.

If only he knew how pathetic and dependent on others Peter really was.

“Everyone’s wondering where you are, so you should het back in there.” Rhodey says, coming closer to him. “Besides, it’s cold as hell out here, and I know you’re not immune.”

“I’m fine.” Peter forces yet another smile. “Can you do me a favor, though? Can you tell everyone I’m not feeling so good, that I went home? I swear, I’ll leave, I just… need a minute.”

Rhodey raises an eyebrow. “You sick or something? I’m sure Tony has something for… whatever you have.”

Peter knows it’s pointless to lie. “‘M’not sick. I just really need some time alone.”

Rhodey sits next to him, and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Do you need to talk about something, kid? If it’ll help, I’m always up for listening.”

Peter is silent for a moment, and then,

“You said Tony would make a great dad. Do you- do you think he was a dad already?”

Rhodey’s face flashes with realization, but before he can respond, Tony’s coming up to the roof.

“Hey, Underoos, honeybear. Is this a party anyone else can join?”

“Talk to him.” Rhodey says to Peter, low enough that Tony can’t hear. “It’ll help. Trust me.”

Then, he gets up. “Found Peter up here. I’m going to get seconds of that raspberry pie, if you need me, Tones.”

And with that, Rhodey leaves, and Tony is taking Rhodey’s place next to Peter.

“So. Want to explain why you disappeared for half an hour? Not that I’m mad, but I know you can’t possibly enjoy this freezing weather, so something’s going on.”Tony says nonchalantly, although Peter can hear the concern in his voice.

He’ll miss that.

“Nothing’s going on, Mr. Stark. I just needed a minute.” Peter lies, keeping the fake smile on his face. 

“You took a bit more than that, kiddo.” Tony remarks sarcastically. “Really, though, you should have some of that pie Rhodey was talking about. Pepper picked it out, apparently she and Morgan were craving-”

Peter suddenly lets out a sob he didn’t know he was holding in. Immediately, Tony is cupping Peter’s face towards him, but Peter quickly shys away, covering his face with his hands.

He doesn’t want Mr. Stark to see him this way, know what he’s really been feeling. It feels as if Tony catches a glimpse of Peter’s expression, he’ll know what’s been running through his head all along.

“I’m really happy for you, Mr. Stark,” Peter chokes out. “You’re going to be really happy. You and Pepper and Morgan.”

“Peter. Please, tell me what’s wrong.” Tony says gently. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me. You know that, Pete.”

Peter sniffles. ‘I-If I tell you, you’ll hate me.”

“I could never hate you, Peter. You know that.” Tony reassures, and Peter decides, fuck it, he needs to tell someone.

“I-I’m really sorry, Mr. Stark. I’m sorry that I’m ruining the baby shower, that I’m a liability, that you’re forced to keep me around- I’m really sorry you had to put up with this for so long.” Peter says through his sobs, and Tony’s expression immediately morphs into one of concern, shock, and anger.

“You’re not a liability, Peter. Who told you that? I swear, I’ll-”

“No one did. I already knew.” Peter says shakily. “I-I guess I didn’t realize it until recently, though? I don’t know. I just- I know you have to keep me around or else you’d feel bad if something happened to me. I’m really sorry, Mr. Stark. I didn’t mean to waste your money or your time-”

“Peter,” Tony starts to say, voice laced with concern and a certain sadness, and oh, great, Peter is dragging Tony down with him-

“-and now with Morgan coming, I know it’s even worse. I should have left sooner or something, I just really liked spending time with you, and I-I really am happy for you, Mr. Stark. I know you’ve been wanting a kid for a while now-”

“Peter-”

“-a kid that was actually yours, not some kid that you’re obligated to take care of. I just- I didn’t want you to stop being around me, Mr. Stark, and god, that sounds horrible- it’s just, I know with Morgan coming, you’ll be with someone you actually want to take care of and be around with, and you can teach her stuff and watch movies like you do with me except you’re not forced to, and I’m sorry, I just really wanted to spend time with you for as long as I could, for as long as I had left-”

“-Peter-”

“-and I know Morgan is going to be so lucky to have you as a father, and I’m sorry I was jealous of her, I don’t even not like Morgan, I think the sonogram pictures were adorable, I just don’t want you to leave me once she’s born although I understand if you do because she’s actually related to you and you actually wanted her, and I’m sorry I was so stupid, that I’m being so stupid, it’s just that everyone always leaves me, Mr. Stark, and IguessIseeyouasadad and I don’t want you to HAVE to be around me and now I’ve probably made you super weirded out and oh, great, now I’ve probably ruined it, and-”

“Peter!” Tony cuts in, and Peter stops talking, burying his face in his hands.

There’s a silence.

Peter knows he can’t come back here now. He’s literally just admitted he was super jealous of Morgan, that he sees Tony as a dad, that he’s, all in all, a needy mess.

“You know, when I was younger, my dad was obsessed with Captain America,” Tony suddenly says, breaking the silence, and Peter can’t help but look at Tony, who’s still sitting next to him, staring at the sky- how does Steve Rogers fit into any of this?

“He was obsessed with finding him, studying him, whatever- they were friends back when Tv was still black and white or something,” Tony continues, rolling his eyes, “And even though good ‘ol all-American golden boy Cap wasn’t even around, I still felt super jealous- even though my dad was a grade-A asshole, mind you.”

Tony sighs, and his breath forms a little vapor cloud.

“Anyway, I felt like I was being replaced by some guy who wasn’t even around. It made me feel like shit, basically. The thing is, my dad didn’t want me around- thought I was a disappointment, would never amount to anything, all that crap.”

“That… that sounds horrible, Mr. Stark.” Peter admits, fiddling with the sleeve of his sweater.

“It was, but that’s not the point, kid,” Tony says, “The point is, is that I want you around, Peter. No one is going to replace you, and they damn well better not try.”

Peter immediately faces Tony, eyes filled with tears that he’s embarrassed to have. He knows it’s stupid that such a simple statement is bringing him to tears, and yet it’s like it’s what he’s wanted- no, needed to hear, all along.

“I- really?” Peter mumbles, afraid to meet Tony’s eyes.

“Yes, kid, really. You know I don’t just let anyone into my lab, and that I wouldn’t sit through dorky movies with just anyone-”

“They’re not dorky. They’re cool.” Peter mutters, and Tony affectionately ruffles his hair.

“Yeah, yeah. Point being, no one is going to replace you anytime soon, Peter. And I don’t want anyone to. Pepper and I like having you around, kid- I know all this baby stuff is new for everyone, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to forget about you. If I didn’t want you staying over, I wouldn’t have you stay over. You know I don’t do anything I don’t want to. Besides, Peter, I already am a dad. I’ve been a dad.”

Peter finally meets Tony’s gaze, and Tony’s eyes are genuine. He’s smiling, a genuine, real smile.

“And I couldn’t be prouder of the son I have.”

Tony hugs Peter, and together, they sit there for a little while, gazing at the stars.

***

Morgan Stark is born two weeks after the baby shower.

She is 7.5 pounds, with fluffy brown hair, beautiful brown eyes- surprisingly, her eyes aren’t black, like most newborns are- and tiny little fingernails and toes.

Her skin is a soft, pale pink, and when Peter holds her for the first time, she coos at him. She’s swaddled in a baby blue blanket, and when she coos, she smiles, digging out her little fist from under her blanket to reach at Peter.

Peter feels nothing but love for her.

Tony takes a polaroid picture of the occasion, for a scrapbook Pepper wants to make. The scrapbook is a pale yellow, and titled, “Stark Family Memories.”

Underneath the photo, in Tony’s handwriting, it reads, “Morg’ and her big brother, Pete. Already a hell raising duo.”

The scrapbook is, and continues to be, filled with many more memories.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoyed this prompt. Feel free to request more here and at my tumblr, miactive.


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